When I was learning the craft of photography I was very young. I attended photography clubs for years. They taught me much, but they also taught me to conform to preconceived rules. Some of the very best photographers I looked up to where purists (as they called themselves). In 1985 autofocus came out in SLR cameras. Those purist vowed never to use autofocus. Some of them duped me into thinking that landscape images may not include any man-made objects (or else it would not be a pure landscape image). Yes, these purist won many awards and many of their images where very good. However, they also missed many great images because of their "purist" bent. Of all of those "purist" photographers in various clubs I belonged to over time I never heard of one of them becoming a pro.

          If you look at my images you will also find that most of them do not include man-made objects. I guess some habits die hard. I do not consider myself a "purist." In fact, I want to encourage you today to include some man-made objects in your landscape image. I want to encourage you to include a very obvious but often overlooked object in your landscape photography. Thus I ask the question: "What about the road.?

We typically travel on roads to the desired location but we seldom look at the road as an object to be photographed. Yet the road can make some nice images. They can create depth. They can wind and make an image dynamic. They can lead to where you want the viewer to look. They offer many advantages and plead to be included in your shots. They don't move and are easy to photograph. Once again, please be safe.

Perhaps we should pay more attention to the road. Roads can play an important role in making an image great.